Dark Chocolate Cherry Brownies

This post has been sponsored by Mezzetta. All opinions are my own. Thanks so much for supporting brands that I love!

If you are a maraschino cherry lover like I am, then I have no doubt that you are a Mezzetta Maraschino cherry lover as well!

There isn't a sweet, red cherry around like it. And maraschino cherries make these Fudgy Cherry Brownies a hit. Think Black Forest Cake meets a brownie. Black Forest Brownies, anyone?

Fall is not far away, and we are making this the season of all things baking. Sam is really into stirring, mixing and adding ingredients into the mixing bowl these days, so what better way to get cozy together than with rich, chocolatey brownies?

Fall traditions may not take us all of the places we want to go this season, but in the kitchen, we can build all the new family traditions. Licking fingers, laughing, and even making messes, these are the moments we will always remember. These are the days we will make the very best we can--together.

Mezzetta Makes it Betta!

I have always loved Mezzetta cherries because they are made with real sugar--and who doesn't love the real stuff? Believe me, not all maraschino cherries are created equal. Sugar sweetened? I can get on board with that for sure!

These sweet, glistening red cherries are baked into brownies full of dark chocolate. Chocolate and cherries are meant to be together. And with a big--I mean BIG dollop of whipped cream and another cherry on top, well, now you're really talking.

Warm brownies, shared with the ones you love are a perfect way to spend a rainy day, a cozy night or any other time you are with someone special.

What you will need:

• I use a dark chocolate bar--you could use chocolate chips. The look of roughly chopped chocolate just gets me. It looks so gorgeous baked on top of the brownies.

How to make this recipe:

• Whisk the melted butter and sugar together to fully incorporate. (step 1)
• Add in the eggs and vanilla and whisk well--you can whisk this part for about a minute or so. (step 2)
• Melt ¾ cup of the chopped dark chocolate chips. Whisk the chocolate into the butter and egg mixture. Fully incorporate the chocolate. (step 3)

• Add the flour, cocoa powder and sea salt. Stir it in just to fully combine. Don't over stir past this point. (steps 4 and 5)
• Add in the cherries and the rest of the chopped chocolate and gently fold in. (you can save a bit of the chocolate for on top as well, or feel free to add even more! Never too much chocolate in brownies, right?!) (steps 6 and 7)

• Pour the cherry brownie batter into a well greased baking pan (I use butter). Bake them up and then try your best to wait to until they are cooled enough to dive into! (steps 8 and 9)

How to serve these brownies:

First and foremost, eating these cherry brownies straight from the pan is 100% perfection. However, if you want to really make them feel like Black Forest Brownies, add a big dollop of whipped cream, an extra cherry and some chocolate shavings.

A warm brownie sundae with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and of course the cherry on top!

I also a chocolate cherry brownie trifle in my future as well. Can you even imagine? Amazing!

Notes:

• You can microwave the chocolate to melt it, but if you prefer skipping the microwave, you can use a double boiler method and melt it stove top.
• If you only have a 9x9 inch baking pan, you will want to keep an eye and not over bake these. I would pull them out at 25 minutes!
• Baking in a metal pan versus a glass pan will vary the baking time as well. I suggest a metal pan--that is what I used. If you use a glass pan, you may need to bake the brownies longer by about 5 minutes.

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